FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE SWIMMING
Friday, February 19, 1999

ETOWN WOMEN LEAD AFTER FIRST DAY OF MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS; BLUE JAY MEN IN SECOND PLACE

CHESTER, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown women's swimming team is in first place after the first day of events at the three-day 1999 Middle Atlantic Conference swimming championships at Widener University.  The Blue Jay men are currently in second place.

The Etown women captured gold medals in all three events held on Friday.  The team of Sarah Klaiber, Jackie Zimmerman (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson), Brooke Knepper and Sarah Bradley won the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1:53.37.  Freshman Heidi Yoder won her first MAC gold medal with a time of 4:47.41 in the 400 individual medley.

The Blue Jays capped the first day of competition with a first-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay by the team of Zimmerman, Knepper, Yoder and Lindsay Texter (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) in a time of 8:02.69, nearly six second faster than second-place Drew.  Etown, which posted a team-record 15 wins this season, is the defending MAC champion.

On the men's side, Paul Contino (Flourtown, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh) captured a silver medal in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:28.07 to help the Blue Jays move into second place after three events.  Jon Fortin finished fifth in the 400 IM in a time of 4:36.17.

Contino and Fortin teamed up with Brian Serapiglia and Mike Hyde to post a fourth-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay in a time of 7:35.18.  The quartet of Contino, Fortin, Serapiglia and Brian Polaski finished fifth in the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:46.63.

The MAC championships continue on Saturday, February 20 and conclude on Sunday, February 21.

MEN'S RESULTS

Team Standings: 1. Widener 89, 2. Elizabethtown 65, 3. Drew 57, 4. Lycoming 55, 5. Albright 53, 6. Scranton 47, 7. Susquehanna 39, 8. Lebanon Valley 18, 9. King's 10, 10. FDU-Madison, 11. Juniata 0.

Individual Elizabethtown Results:
200 Medley Relay: 5. Elizabethtown (Serapiglia, Polaski, Contino, Fortin), 1:46.63.
400 Individual Medley: 2. Paul Contino, 4:28.07*, 5. Jon Fortin, 4:36.17.
800 Freestyle Relay: 4. Elizabethtown (Serapiglia, Hyde, Contino, Fortin), 7:35.18.

* MAC medalist

WOMEN'S RESULTS

Team Standings: 1. Elizabethtown 80, 2. Scranton 65, 3. Lycoming 62, 4T. Albright 57, 4T. Drew 57, 6. Susquehanna 44, 7. Widener 40, 8. Juniata 20, 9T. Lebanon Valley 14, 9T. King's 14, 11. FDU-Madison 8.

Individual Elizabethtown Results:
200 Medley Relay: 1. Elizabethtown (Klaiber, Zimmerman, Knepper, Bradley), 1:53.37*
400 Individual Medley: 1. Heidi Yoder, 4:47.41*, 15. Kathy Weldin, 5:13.47
800 Freestyle Relay: 1. Elizabethtown (Texter, Zimmerman, Yoder, Knepper), 8:02.69*

* MAC medalist